

| The continuing years of the Discovery Series storyline as the family gets ready for a big event. The family storyteller gathers up some photos and shares a perspective on the past. (including a "photo album" scrapbook) GSR/Yo!Bling/Etc. *Rated PG for Most Everyone. |
| LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY |
| Paddy & Tammy |
| Any comments, suggestions or questions can be directed to the author. Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope you found something that you could enjoy. Disclaimer: I do not own anything in relation to C.S.I., Alliance Atlantic, CBS, William Petersen, Jorja Fox or any other characters contained herein... I just like playing with them now and then while stretching my writing muscles. And if you think there's any money to be gained by suing me, you're in for a horrible disappointment. |
| Check out All the Author's Works in Progress at FanFiction.net |



| Congratulations! You found the Easter Egg! |
| My father was a career Marine. He’s still a Marine, but now it’s just a way of life, instead of a career. I love him, I really do, but sometimes I wonder if my life would have been different if he had been around more, instead of out on deployment all the time. That’s one of the many things I love about being married to Patrick. Patrick comes home every night. In fact, he’s home a lot of days, too. Our children are small right now, but they still appreciate knowing where their Poppa is at all times. Paddy and I met in college, both of us struggling to make it on our own, away from our families. At first, I really wasn’t interested in him at all. He was just such a cut-up all the time, and I couldn’t ever imagine myself with someone who wasn’t straight-laced and at least a little bit serious. And then I met his twin brother Mikey. I was shocked to no end to find out that Paddy was the straight man in that crew. I looked at him differently after meeting Mikey. Twin brothers attending different colleges, trying to move out of one another’s shadows. It became even more surprising when I learned that Mikey was gay. They easily could have gone to the same school, because they were both obscenely smart, but Mikey had chosen another school at the last minute. When I asked Paddy about it later, he told me that the reason Mike went somewhere else was because he never wanted his dating to color people’s perceptions of his twin. Those two had this amazing relationship, and it made me want to know more about Patrick as a result. The more I learned about Patrick, the more I fell in love with him. I uncovered a shy, unsure and incredibly gentle person underneath all the jokes and the preening. I found a man deeply committed to his family and his friends. And I found a man who was intensely empathic to those around him. Whenever I saw him, I almost expected to find him counseling one person or another, and it was usually true. Before long, I was telling him my darkest secrets and my most precious dreams. I trusted him with everything, but most especially with my heart. And for that trust, he gave me his heart in return. Patrick would forever be a part of my life, and we became engaged between our junior and senior years of college. My father was not amused when we went to the house in San Diego to tell him the good news. He felt we were too young, that we had no idea what we were getting into and we were making a huge mistake. I was ready to beat the old Marine over the head with an anchor when Patrick spoke up. He told my father that while he respected his opinions, he knew his own heart, and he trusted to me to known mine and that we would be getting married with or without his blessing. He said he hoped with every fiber of his being that my father could find it in his heart to grant us that one and only request. And much to my completely dumbfounded surprise, he did. We were married right after graduation, and as Paddy and I prepared for our respective grad schools, we discovered the real good news; I was pregnant. And not just pregnant. Oh, no. I had to get pregnant with twins, right out of the gate. Before he had a chance to say anything, I tore up my grad school paperwork and told Patrick that if he didn’t go, I’d divorce him right then and there. I knew what it was like to grow up without my parents around all the time, and I was not about to do that to my children. There would be time later on for me to go back to school, but my children would only be children once. It’s sometimes a struggle, but we’ve done it together, and we’ve all been better off because of it. Of course, my return to school would probably come a lot quicker if I could just figure out what it is that keeps getting me pregnant. But three kids and one on the way is a fantastic way to practice all those early childhood education classes I took as an undergrad. And regardless of how long it takes to get there, I know my husband and my children will be right there cheering me on, because it’s all been worth it. |